Trump Speaks to Vance Being MAGA Heir-Apparent

Will Vice President JD Vance succeed President Donald Trump as leader of the “Make America Great Again” movement? Secretary of State Marco Rubio thinks so, and Trump himself weighed in on Tuesday.

At a White House event where Trump signed an executive order creating a 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics task force, the president was asked about the future of the Republican Party and MAGA movement.

“This weekend, Secretary of State Rubio said that he thought JD Vance would be a great nominee. You could clear the entire Republican field right now,” senior Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy said. “Do you agree that the heir-apparent to MAGA is JD Vance?” 

“Well, I think most likely, in all fairness he’s the vice president and I think Marco is also somebody that would get together with JD in some form,” Trump offered.

Trump also pointed out other “incredible people” at the event who could top the ticket, with the reminder 2028 is a long way away. “It’s too early to talk about it,” Trump said, “but certainly he’s doing a great job. And [Vance] would be probably favored at this point.”

Rubio had been asked about his political ambitions recently during a Fox News interview on “My View with Lara Trump.” “I think JD Vance would be a great nominee … if he decides he wants to do that,” Rubio said. The secretary, who ran for president in 2016, offered that Vance is “doing a great job as vice president,” calling him “a close friend” and adding that “I hope he intends to do it.”

As for his own political future, Rubio stressed he’s satisfied in his role at the State Department. He was confirmed 99-0 in January, the same day that Trump took office for his second term.

Chatter about a Vance-Rubio ticket echoes not only Rubio’s recent remarks, but what Trump himself told Kristen Welker on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” during a May interview.

When asked about the survival of the MAGA movement, Trump referenced Rubio and also referred to Vance as “fantastic.” Once more speaking about how early it was, Trump said Vance was doing “a fantastic job” when asked about his successor, and likewise said Rubio “is great.”

Polling indeed shows that Vance is, at least at this point, a likely choice for Republican primary voters, with 46% selecting the vice president in an Emerson College poll from late June. Rubio came in a distant second with 12%. More recently, an Emerson College poll for North Carolina showed Vance with 53% support for the 2028 Republican primary.

Should Vance be elected in 2028 and serve as the 48th president, he would be the seventh man elected president after serving as vice president. Ohio would also tie Virginia for having the most presidents born in that state, with a President JD Vance being the eighth president born in Ohio and the first since President Warren G. Harding won the 1920 election.

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